DOCSLIB.ORG

Observations of Gulf of Tehuantepec Gap Wind Events from Quikscat: an Updated Event Climatology and Operational Model Evaluation

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Observations of Gulf of Tehuantepec Gap Wind Events from Quikscat: an Updated Event Climatology and Operational Model Evaluation 8A.4 OBSERVATIONS OF GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC GAP WIND EVENTS FROM QUIKSCAT: AN UPDATED EVENT CLIMATOLOGY AND OPERATIONAL MODEL EVALUATION Michael J. Brennan*, Hugh D. Cobb, III, and Richard D. Knabb NOAA/NWS/NCEP/National Hurricane Center 1. INTRODUCTION QuikSCAT satellite, launched in 1999, has allowed As part of the National Hurricane Center (NHC), the consistent and unprecedented documentation of Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch (TAFB) has these events, including their frequency, duration and marine analysis and forecast responsibility for intensity (primarily gale vs. storm force). portions of the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean (Fig. 1). Gap wind events in the Gulf of Tehuantepec are the NRT QuikSCAT retrievals have been available to most frequently observed storm-force (48 kt or forecasters at NHC since the fall of 1999, allowing for greater) wind events that occur outside of tropical routine observation of these events and their intensity cyclones in this region. for the first time, the evaluation of operational model forecast performance in these events, and the The Gulf of Tehuantepec is situated south of the development of a multi-year event climatology. Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the narrowest area of land separating the Gulf of Mexico from the Pacific Ocean An initial climatology of Tehuantepec events was (Fig. 2). When cold-air outbreaks occur over the Gulf constructed by Cobb et al. (2002) based on the first of Mexico, the Sierra Madre Mountains block the three cold seasons of data (1999–2000 through large-scale flow of cold air southward, resulting in the 2001–2002) from the QuikSCAT mission. That study development of a strong north-south pressure found an average of 15 gale-force and two storm- gradient across the isthmus. Subsequently, northerly force events occurred each cold season. The first flow is funneled through the 40-km-wide Chivela Pass, gale-force event of a season typically occurred in mid- a narrow break in the Sierra Madres. This gap flow October, with the final gale-force event occurring in often results in a narrow jet of winds that can reach late March or early April. gale (≥ 34 kt), storm (≥ 48 kt), and occasionally hurricane force (≥ 64 kt) in the Gulf of Tehuantepec The goals of this study are (i) to utilize the long period (Fig. 3). of data from QuikSCAT to update the initial climatology of Cobb et al. (2002), and (ii) to examine From previous case studies (e.g., Schultz et al. 1997; the performance of real-time NWP model guidance Steenburgh et al. 1998), and climatological studies available to TAFB forecasters for predicting these (e.g., Schultz et al. 1998), the synoptic-scale features events during the 2006–2007 cold season. driving cold-air surges that result in gap wind events in the Gulf of Tehuantepec are relatively well- A brief description of QuikSCAT will be provided in understood. The strongest cold surges into the region section 2, with the updated climatology presented in are associated with a confluent upper-level jet section 3. Section 4 contains an evaluation of entrance region situated over the Gulf of Mexico and operational NWP model guidance for the 2006–2007 an upper-level ridge over the western United States, cold season. Section 5 will discuss other potential resulting in the equatorward movement of a surface sources of OSVW data for the detection of these anticyclone of arctic origin into the Gulf of Mexico events in the post-QuikSCAT era and section 6 will (Schultz et al. 1998, their Fig. 14a). present a summary and conclusions. Prior to the advent of satellite-based wind 2. QUIKSCAT DESCRIPTION observations, sporadic ship observations provided the only information on the intensity of these gap wind The SeaWinds scatterometer onboard QuikSCAT is a events over the open waters of the Gulf of Ku-band scatterometer that estimates OSVW by Tehuantepec, and little was known about the spatial measuring the backscatter due to centimeter-scale distribution of the winds in these events. More capillary waves on the ocean surface. QuikSCAT recently, the availability of near-real-time (NRT) ocean nominally provides wind retrievals with a horizontal surface vector wind (OSVW) retrievals from the resolution of 25-km, and since 2003 NRT 12.5-km SeaWinds scatterometer onboard the NASA retrievals have also been available. The NRT QuikSCAT retrievals available at NHC are processed *Current affiliation: NOAA/NWS/NCEP at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Hydrometeorological Prediction Center Administration/National Environmental Satellite, Data, Corresponding author address: and Information Service (NOAA/NESDIS) using the Dr. Michael J. Brennan NRT retrieval process described by Hoffman and 5200 Auth Rd. Leidner (2005). These data are displayed on the Camp Springs, MD 20746 NOAA/National Centers for Environmental Prediction Email: [email protected] (NCEP) Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (N-AWIPS) workstations used by NHC events. The increased number of storm events during forecasters. the 2006–2007 cold season occurred after the positive ENSO event in 2006. This is consistent with QuikSCAT provides wind retrievals in an 1800-km- the findings of Romero-Centeno et al. (2003), who wide swath, often twice per day near the Gulf of showed an increase in the frequency and strength of Tehuantepec. At 16°N (the approximate latitude of northerly winds in the southern Isthmus of the Gulf of Tehuantepec), the gap between adjacent Tehuantepec during ENSO years, and Schultz et al. QuikSCAT swaths is approximately 930 km wide, (1998), who showed that Central American cold resulting in occasional “misses” when the Gulf of surges were more numerous after an El Nino year, Tehuantepec area falls in these gaps. Conveniently due to a more prominent jet entrance region over the for synoptic analysis and comparison to NWP model Gulf of Mexico. output, QuikSCAT passes in the Gulf of Tehuantepec region generally occur within an hour of 00 UTC and The monthly distribution of Tehuantepec events 12 UTC. shows the largest number of gale-force events occurring in December (Fig. 5). Storm-force events Confidence in the accuracy of QuikSCAT OSVW occur most often in January; with a secondary peak in retrievals is high for Tehuantepec events, especially November. Gale-force events have occurred as early since these wind events are rain-free, thus eliminating as September and as late as May, however about rain contamination as a source of error in the 88% of the events occur between November and QuikSCAT retrievals. Recent measurements of March. hurricane-force winds in extratropical cyclones in non- raining conditions using the NOAA Stepped- 4. OPERATIONAL MODEL EVALUATION Frequency Microwave Radiometer (SFMR) and GPS dropsondes were in close agreement with co-located TAFB forecasters include forecasts and warnings for QuikSCAT measurements (P. Chang, personal Tehuantepec events in a high seas forecast issued communication); confirming that QuikSCAT OSVW four times daily. NWP model guidance available in retrievals are accurate in the low end of the hurricane- the region includes various global models, the NCEP force range in non-raining conditions. Global Forecast System (GFS) being the most heavily used. For the first time in 2006–2007, the NCEP 3. TEHUANTEPEC EVENT CLIMATOLOGY North American Mesoscale (NAM) model extended far enough south to include the Gulf of Tehuantepec For each cold season from 1999–2000 through 2006– region. Here operational model guidance for 2007, all QuikSCAT passes showing winds of gale Tehuantepec events during the 2006–2007 cold force or greater in the Gulf of Tehuantepec were season is evaluated. cataloged. The classification of an event as gale- or storm-force is based on the peak QuikSCAT wind At the time of this study, the GFS model was run with observed during the event from either 25-km or 12.5- horizontal spectral truncation at wave number 382 (an km retrievals. Since 12.5-km QuikSCAT retrievals effective horizontal grid spacing of approximately 40 only became available in 2003, the number of storm km) and 64 vertical levels (T382/64) through the first events detected has increased substantially. Since 180 hours of the forecast, while the NAM model was the mean duration of a Tehuantepec event is 48 run with 12-km horizontal grid spacing and 60 vertical hours (Cobb et al. 2002), one or two QuikSCAT levels. GFS output is delivered to TAFB forecasters passes that “miss” during an event would not likely on global 1° grids, and output from the NAM is preclude detection of a gale-force event, but could provided on grids with approximate 90-km horizontal result in missing a storm-force event, since those grid spacing. peak winds only occur during a short portion of the overall event. For all times when QuikSCAT indicated at least gale- force winds in the Gulf of Tehuantepec, the maximum During the 1999–2000 through 2006–2007 period, 99 forecast wind speed from the GFS and NAM (to the gale- and 44 storm-force events have been observed; closest 5 kt) was recorded at 12, 24, 36 and 48 h lead an average of 12.4 gale and 5.5 storm events per cold times. Table 1 summarizes the number of gale- and season. Since the advent of 12.5-km retrievals in storm-force events, as observed by QuikSCAT, for 2003, the number of storm-force events detected has which forecasts from each model were evaluated. increased to an average of 7.4 per season from The maximum QuikSCAT wind speed was obtained 2002–2003 through 2006–2007. The yearly count of from gridded analyses with 1/4° (1/8°) grid spacing for gale- and storm-force events is shown in Figure 4. the 25-km (12.5-km) retrievals 1 .The probability of The 2003–2004 cold season had the largest number detection (POD) of a gale-force or a storm-force event of events reach at least gale force (24), while the (as determined by QuikSCAT) from both the GFS and 2006–2007 cold season had the most storm-force NAM was computed at 12-, 24-, 36- and 48-h lead events (12).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Downloaded 10/01/21 04:50 PM UTC
    3768 JOURNAL OF CLIMATE VOLUME 20 Midsummer Gap Winds and Low-Level Circulation over the Eastern Tropical Pacific ROSARIO ROMERO-CENTENO,JORGE ZAVALA-HIDALGO, AND G. B. RAGA Centro de Ciencias de la Atmosfera, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico (Manuscript received 12 October 2005, in final form 14 November 2006) ABSTRACT The low-level seasonal and intraseasonal wind variability over the northeastern tropical Pacific (NETP), its relationship with other variables, and the connection with large- and middle-scale atmospheric patterns are analyzed using a suite of datasets. Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) wind data show that the low-level circulation over the NETP is mainly affected by the northerly trades, the southerly trades, and the wind jets crossing through the Tehuantepec, Papagayo, and Panama mountain gaps. The seasonal and intraseasonal evolution of these wind systems determines the circulation patterns over the NETP, showing predominant easterly winds in winter and early spring and wind direction reversals in summer over the central region of the NETP. During summer, when southerly trades are the strongest and reach their maximum northward penetration, weak westerlies are observed in June, easterlies in July–August, despite that strong southerlies tend to turn eastward, and again westerlies in September–October. This circulation pattern appears to be related to the Tehuantepec and Papagayo jets, which slightly strengthen during midsummer favored by the westward elongation and intensification of the Azores–Bermuda high (ABH). This ABH evolution induces an across-gap pressure gradient over the Isthmus of Tehuantepec favoring the generation of the jet and a meridional sea level pressure (SLP) gradient in the western Caribbean that favors the funneling of the trade winds through the Papagayo gap.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecologics : Wind and Power in the Anthropocene / Cymene Howe
    Ecologics This page intentionally left blank Ecologics Wind and Power in the Anthropocene Cymene Howe Duke University Press Durham and London 2019 © 2019 DUKE UNIVERSITY PRESS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMER I CA ON ACID- FREE PAPER ∞ DESIGNED BY COURTNEY LEIGH BAKER AND TYPESET IN MINION PRO AND FUTURA STANDARD BY WESTCHESTER PUBLISHING SER VICES Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Names: Howe, Cymene, author. Title: Ecologics : wind and power in the Anthropocene / Cymene Howe. Other titles: Wind and power in the Anthropocene Description: Durham : Duke University Press, 2019. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: lccn 2018050150 (print) lccn 2019000665 (ebook) isbn 9781478004400 (ebook) isbn 9781478003199 (hardcover : alk. paper) isbn 9781478003854 (pbk. : alk. paper) Subjects: lcsh: Wind power— Research— Mexico— Tehuantepec, Isthmus of. | Renewable energy sources— Mexico— Tehuantepec, Isthmus of. | Renewable energy sources— Political aspects. | Electric power production— Mexico— Tehuantepec, Isthmus of. | Energy industries— Mexico— Tehuantepec, Isthmus of. | Energy development— Political aspects. | Energy policy— International cooperation. | Geology, Stratigraphic— Anthropocene. Classification: lcc tj820 (ebook) | lcc tj820 .h69 2019 (print) | ddc 333.9/2097262— dc23 lc rec ord available at https:// lccn . loc . gov / 2018050150 Cover art: Bat falcon in flight. Photo © Juan Carlos Vindas / Getty Images. This title is freely available in an open access edition thanks to
    [Show full text]
  • A Case Study in the Social and Historical Context of Wind Energy Development in Southern Mexico
    enticed by the wind A Case Study in the Social and Historical Context of Wind Energy Development in Southern Mexico 1 WILSON CENTER LEADERSHIP The Honorable Jane Harman, Director, President, and CEO BOARD OF TRUSTEES The Honorable Thomas R. Nides, Chairman Public members: The Honorable James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress The Honorable John F. Kerry, Secretary, U.S. Department of State David Skorton, Secretary, The Smithsonian Institution The Honorable Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education The Honorable David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States William Adams, Chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities The Honorable Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Designated Appointee of the President from within the Federal Government The Honorable Fred P. Hochberg, Chairman and President, Export-Import Bank of the United States Private Citizen members: Peter Beshar, John T. Casteen III, Thelma Duggin, Lt. Gen. Susan Helms, USAF (Ret.), The Honorable Barry S. Jackson, Nathalie Rayes, Earl W. Stafford, Jane Watson Stetson WILSON NATIONAL CABINET The Honorable Joseph Gildenhorn and Willem Kooyker Mrs. Alma Gildenhorn, Co-Chairs The Honorable Raymond Learsy and Eddie and Sylvia Brown *Ms. Melva Bucksbaum Dr. Armeane and Mrs. Mary Choksi Linda B. and Tobia G. Mercuro The Honorable Sue Cobb and The Honorable Thomas R. Nides The Honorable Chuck Cobb Nathalie Rayes Lester Crown Wayne Rogers Thelma Duggin B. Francis Saul II Judi Flom Ginny and L.E. Simmons Sander R. Gerber Diana Davis Spencer Harman Family Foundation Jane Watson Stetson Susan Hutchison Leo Zickler Frank F. Islam *Deceased The Winds of History In 1946, Basil Nikiforoff et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Perspectives on Social Vulnerability Edited by Koko Warner
    Perspectives on Social Vulnerability Edited by Koko Warner No. 6/2007 UNU Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) UN Campus Hermann-Ehlers-Str. 10 D-53113 Bonn, Germany Copyright UNU-EHS 2007 Cover design by Gerd Zschäbitz Copy editor: Ilona Roberts, Vilma Liaukonyte Printed at Paffenholz, Bornheim, Germany 1. edition, 1000 copies, February 2007 The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s). Publication does not imply endorsement by the UNU-EHS or the United Nations University of any of the views expressed. ISBN: 978-3-939923-00-8 (printed version) ISBN: 978-3-939923-01-5 (electronic version) ISSN: 1816-1154 SOURCE ‘Studies of the University: Research, Counsel, Education’ Publication Series of UNU-EHS No. 6/2007 1 About the Authors Dr. Koko Warner is an academic officer at the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS). Dr. Warner has worked for the past eight years on the economic and societal impacts of natural disasters and climate change in developing countries. Warner coordinates the Munich Re Foundation Chair on Social Vulnerability. At UNU-EHS she is responsible for the area of environmental migration and social vulnerability. Her research encompasses the economic and social science analysis of how groups of people manage shocks and risk, including how they use financial tools including insurance to manage these risks. She currently also serves as an assistant professor at the University of Richmond’s Emer- gency Service Management graduate program. She holds a PhD from the University of Vienna Department of Economics. Christian Kuhlicke is a PhD student at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in the Department of Urban and Environmen- tal Sociology.
    [Show full text]
  • April 2012 2 April 2012 ~ Mariners Weather Log See These Web Pages for Further Links
    Volume 56, Number 1 April 2012 From the Editor Paula Rychtar Paula here and I have the “conn”. M W L Welcome to my fi rst issue of the Mariners Weather Log. I have some great ISSN 0025-3367 ideas for our magazine and I do encourage input from all of you. First, I U.S. Department of Commerce would like to give a loud and enthusiastic welcome aboard to our new Port Meteorological Offi cer, David Jones. Dave will be the new PMO for the New Jane Lubchenco Ph.D. Orleans/Gulf Coast area; you can read his bio on Page 8. Dave will begin his Under Secretary of Commerce for responsibilities in March. Oceans and Atmosphere In this issue, we need to say farewell to one of our dear friends and a strong National Weather Service advocate of the U.S. VOS program, Dr. Bill Burnett. Dr. Bill Burnett has been Dr. John "Jack" L. Hayes selected as the new Technical Director of Commander, Naval Meteorology NOAA Assistant Administrator for and Oceanography Command (CNMOC). This is a tremendous and well- Weather Services deserved accomplishment for Bill, and I know that we are all very proud of him and happy for him. Bill’s departure is a loss to NDBC, VOS as well as Editorial Supervisor the Joint Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology Paula M. Rychtar (JCOMM). It will be very diffi cult to replace him. You can read his farewell story on page 8. Layout and Design Leigh Ellis I hope you enjoy our featured cover story, Observer-based Whale Shark Research in the Northern Gulf of Mexico.
    [Show full text]
  • DISS Final Submission 5.2.18
    Atmospheric Pressure: An Ethnography of Wind, Turbines, and Zapotec Life in Southern Mexico by Stephanie Friede Department of Cultural Anthropology Duke University Date: _______________________ Approved: ___________________________ Orin Starn, Supervisor ___________________________ Diane Nelson ___________________________ Rebecca Stein ___________________________ Peter Redfield ___________________________ Tomas Matza Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Cultural Anthropology in the Graduate School of Duke University 2018 ABSTRACT Atmospheric Pressure: An Ethnography of Wind, Turbines, and Zapotec Life in Southern Mexico by Stephanie Friede Department of Cultural Anthropology Duke University Date: _______________________ Approved: ___________________________ Orin Starn, Supervisor ___________________________ Diane Nelson ___________________________ Rebecca Stein ___________________________ Peter Redfield ___________________________ Tomas Matza An abstract of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Cultural Anthropology in the Graduate School of Duke University 2018 Copyright by Stephanie Friede 2018 Abstract As one of the windiest places in the world, it is no surprise that companies have flocked to Mexico's Isthmus of Tehuantepec, a narrow neck of land connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Primarily foreign corporations have installed more than1500 wind turbines
    [Show full text]
  • Special Scientific Report- -Fisheries No
    AN OCEANOGRAPHIC STUDY OF THE GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC SPECIAL SQENTIFIC REPOKT-FISHERIES Na 404 UNITED STATES BEPARTMENTjFJ[HEJIintR]OR^ TisFTNTymDUFTsERvfci' This work was financed by the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries under Contract No. 14-19-008-9354, with funds made available under the Act of July 1, 1954 (68 Stat. 376), commonly known as the Saltonstall-Kennedy Act. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, STEWART L. UDALL, SECRETARY Fish and Wildlife Service, Clarence F. Pautzke, Commissioner Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, Donald L. McKernan, Director AN OCEANOGRAPHIC STUDY OF THE GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC by Maurice Blackburn Research Biologist Scripps Institution of Oceanography University of California La JoUa, California United States Fish and Wildlife Service Special Scientific Report- -Fisheries No. 404 Washington, D. C. February 1962 CONTENTS Page Introduction 1 Topography and climatology of the Tehuantepec region 2 Previous oceanographic information; Mean surface temperature 4 Mean surface current 5 Mean depth of mixed layer 5 Mean standing crop of zooplankton 5 Data from Expedition EASTROPIC 5 Observations on cruise TO-58-1, Expedition SCOT (May and June 1958) 6 Horizontal distributions of properties 6 Vertical distributions of properties 8 Interpretation 9 Observations on cruise TO-58-2 (November 1958) 9 Horizontal distributions of properties , 9 Vertical distributions of properties 11 Interpretation 13 Observations on cruise TO-59-1 (January and February 1959) 15 Horizontal distributions of properties 15 Vertical distributions of properties 17 Interpretation 18 Observations on cruise TO-59-2 (September 1959) 21 Horizontal distributions of properties 22 Vertical distributions of properties 23 Interpretation 23 Discussion 24 Summary 27 Literature cited 28 FIGURES 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Exchange Implications of Obsidian Source Analysis from the Lower Rio Verde Valley, Oaxaca, Mexico Author(S): Arthur A
    Society for American Archaeology Exchange Implications of Obsidian Source Analysis from the Lower Rio Verde Valley, Oaxaca, Mexico Author(s): Arthur A. Joyce, J. Michael Elam, Michael D. Glascock, Hector Neff and Marcus Winter Source: Latin American Antiquity, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Mar., 1995), pp. 3-15 Published by: Society for American Archaeology Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/971597 . Accessed: 20/05/2014 23:42 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Society for American Archaeology is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Latin American Antiquity. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 128.138.73.68 on Tue, 20 May 2014 23:42:30 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions l_ - EXCHANGE IMPLICATIONS OF OBSIDIAN SOURCE ANALYSIS FROM THE LOWER RIO VERDE VAT,T,1ZY,OAXACA, MEXICO Arthur A. Joyce, J. Michael Elam, Michael D. Glascock, Hector NeS, and Marcus Winter This article considersthe resultsof instrumentalneutron-activation analyses of 61 obsidianartifacts recoveredfrom excavations at four archaeologicalsites in the lower Rio Verdevalley on the Pacifc coast of Oaxaca, Mexico. Determinationsof sourcelocations of theseartifacts permit the examinationof changesin obsidianexchange patterns spanning the late Middle Formativeto the Classic period.
    [Show full text]
  • Isthmus of Tehuantepec
    UCRL-ID-126133 a Isthmus of Tehuantepec R. A. Miles DISCLAIMER This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsi- bility for the accuracy. completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its usc would not infringe privately owned rights. Refer- ence herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark manufacturer. or otherwise does not neccssarily constitute or imply its endorsement, rccom- mendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect thosc of the United States Government or any agency thereof. This is an informal report intended primarily for internal or limited external distribution. The opinions and conclusions stated are those of the author and may or may not be those of the Laboratory. Work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract W-7405-ENG-48. DISCLAIMER Portions of this document mybe illegible in electronic image products. Images are produced from the best available original document. 25 March 1958 DECLASSIFICATION STAMP ON RWER / MJ3MORANDUM TO8 Distribution FROM : Robert A. Miles SUBjECTt Revised Ke?ort - Isthmus of Tehuantepec Enclosed for yotir information and retention is one copy of a preliminary report on the Isthus of Tehuantepec as a location for a non-military application of nuclear devices.
    [Show full text]
  • Two Decades Under Windmills in La Venta, Mexico from an Annoyance to a Blessing – for Some
    Two Decades Under Windmills in La Venta, Mexico From an Annoyance to a Blessing – for Some Gerardo A. Torres Contreras University of Sussex United Kingdom Draft paper prepared for the UNRISD Conference Overcoming Inequalities in a Fractured World: Between Elite Power and Social Mobilization 8–9 November 2018, Geneva, Switzerland The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) is an autonomous research institute within the UN system that undertakes multidisciplinary research and policy analysis on the social dimensions of contemporary development issues. Through our work we aim to ensure that social equity, inclusion and justice are central to development thinking, policy and practice. UNRISD Palais des Nations 1211 Geneva 10 Switzerland [email protected] www.unrisd.org Copyright © United Nations Research Institute for Social Development This is not a formal UNRISD publication. The responsibility for opinions expressed in signed studies rests solely with their author(s), and availability on the UNRISD website (www.unrisd.org) does not constitute an endorsement by UNRISD of the opinions expressed in them. No publication or distribution of these papers is permitted without the prior authorization of the author(s), except for personal use. Abstract Scholarship touching on wind energy development in the Mexican case, especially in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, overlooks the long-term uneven social effects resulting from this industry at the local level. This paper seeks to analyse the process through which wind energy has exacerbated patterns of rural social differentiation in La Venta – the town where the first wind energy project in Latin America was established in 1994. This differentiation has happened between landowners, and between landowners and landless people.
    [Show full text]
  • Tracing the Tehuano
    Tracing the Tehuano “The challenge was to develop by Natasha Vizcarra Scientists want to decode the Tehuano’s unpre- code that can do what the dictable and violent nature to keep mariners Before the sun rises, members of the Icot safe. But they are also curious about the wind’s human eye can do.” people set out fishing kites in Mexico’s Gulf relationship with other processes, big and small. of Tehuantepec (teh-wahn-teh-pek). Offshore, Does the Tehuano cause the upwelling, for exam- Deborah K. Smith five-foot nylon kites rise quickly, anchored by ple, or is it caused by something else? Is it just a Remote Sensing Systems buckets of stones and tethered to nets sousing in local weather event, or does it contribute to that freaky, ten-foot waves. These winter waters turn complicated, global climate soup? More impor- violent with the squally Tehuano wind. It can tantly, can the Tehuano be predicted? blow without warning on a clear day, packing gale- or hurricane-force winds. The kites fly all Deborah K. Smith, a geographer and remote sens- night as strong winds upwell colder, nutrient-rich ing expert, is part of a team eager to build a cli- water. Icot fishermen return the next day to a matology for the Tehuano: wind and sea surface bounty of fish, more than 600 pounds without temperature measurements of the event spanning setting foot in the turbulent waters. many years. Climatologies power global climate Canoes are moored at Playa de San Mateo del Mar on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Oaxaca, Mexico.
    [Show full text]
  • Observations of Gulf of Tehuantepec Gap Wind Events from Quikscat: an Updated Event Climatology and Operational Model Evaluation
    646 WEATHER AND FORECASTING VOLUME 25 Observations of Gulf of Tehuantepec Gap Wind Events from QuikSCAT: An Updated Event Climatology and Operational Model Evaluation MICHAEL J. BRENNAN,HUGH D. COBB III, AND RICHARD D. KNABB* NOAA/NWS/NCEP/National Hurricane Center, Miami, Florida (Manuscript received 26 June 2009, in final form 12 September 2009) ABSTRACT A climatology of gale- and storm-force gap wind events in the Gulf of Tehuantepec is constructed for the first time using 10 yr of ocean surface vector wind data from the SeaWinds scatterometer on board NASA’s Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) satellite. These wind events are among the most severe that occur within the National Hurricane Center’s (NHC) area of marine forecasting responsibility outside of tropical cyclones. The 10-yr climatology indicates that on average 11.9 gale-force events and 6.4 storm-force events occur in the Gulf of Tehuantepec each cold season. About 84% of these events occur between November and March, with the largest number of gale-force events occurring in December. Storm-force events are most frequent in January. Operational numerical weather prediction model forecasts of these events from the NCEP Global Forecast System (GFS) and North American Mesoscale (NAM) models were evaluated during the 2006/07 cold season. Results show that neither model is able to consistently forecast storm-force Tehuantepec wind events; however, the models do have some ability to forecast gale-force events. The NAM model showed a significant increase in probability of detection over the GFS, possibly due to increased horizontal and vertical resolutions as well as differences in boundary layer mixing and surface flux schemes.
    [Show full text]